Compact Roadheader

ABSTRACT

A selective cutting machine  1  suitable for use in mining. It comprises a machine frame  3 , which has a cutting device  5  arranged on a swivel arm  4  at its end pointing towards the breast. There is a control station  6 , an electric unit  9  and/or a drilling/anchoring unit  2  designed as a compact station  10 , as viewed in a longitudinal axis direction, side by side on the machine frame  3 .  FIG. 1  is to be provided for publication.

The invention relates to a selective cutting machine for use in mining, with a machine frame, which has a cutting device arranged on a swivel arm at its end pointing towards to the breast, wherein there is a control station, an electric unit and/or a drilling/anchoring unit designed as a compact station viewed in a longitudinal axis direction all arranged side by side on the machine frame of the selective cutting machine.

Such selective cutting machines with a cutting device positioned on a swivel arm, for example in the form of a milling head, with which the rock can be processed piece by piece, are very well known. The stripped stone is collected and transported away by such machines via a loading device with a ramp and a conveyor. In this connection it is also known to fit out selective cutting machines with drilling/anchoring units to be in a position to rapidly perform drilling or to place anchors as required for appropriate ground conditions without having to perform complex re-tooling of the machine or even relocation of the machine. These drilling/anchoring units are positioned above on the actual machine frame and therefore contribute significantly to increasing the height or the cross-section of the selective machine including the drilling/anchoring unit. This significantly limits the areas of application of previously known selective cutting machines. Only selective cutting machines in a lightweight construction have been known until now for use also in small semi-circular or rectangular cross-sections. These are, however, not capable of delivering the pressing forces required for rock heading, so it is not possible to achieve an adequate rate of advance for harder types of rock.

For this reason the task of the present invention is to create a selective cutting machine for use in mining, which is characterized by a particular compactness in order also to be used in small cross-sections.

This task is achieved in such a way that the electric unit, which includes the power module like the control section, is designed to be operated from the control station, that the sub-assemblies of the electric unit is modular, wherein the module is arranged on movable mounted assembly panels and that the upper side of the machine frame is formed as a walkable platform connecting both ends of the machine frame.

A particularly high compactness of the selective cutting machine according to the invention, but one which still delivers a high performance, is achieved in that the selective cutting machine is fitted with the aggregates control station, electric unit and drilling/anchoring unit side by side on its machine frame. Arrangement of these aggregates side by side at the same or, where necessary, a slightly different height, imparts the selective cutting machine with an advantageous compactness for an ideal floor plan and assignment of the operating levels. In this process, the electric unit, which is designed as a compact station is integrated into the center of the machine frame, while the drilling/anchoring unit and also the control station, if necessary, are positioned at the side. The total height of the machine can therefore be less than 2.5 m.

Arrangement of the control station with the fully integrated valve systems at the side of the electric unit positioned in the middle on the selective cutting machine means that these can be operated from the control station. It is therefore possible to achieve very simple and direct handling and, at the same time, control of the electric unit from within the control station, which is easily accessible from the side. Quite simple access to the whole control system, hydraulics and pneumatics is therefore possible.

The compact station is fitted with one or more monitors already set up on the control station as well as other equipment and is controlled from the control station using a mouse or a joystick. Optional remote control as an alternative to controlling from the control station is conceivable, both for the whole selective cutting machine and also for the drilling/anchoring unit.

It furthermore provided for that the sub-assemblies of the electric unit are modular. All sub-assemblies are of a modular configuration in order to also fulfill this requirement for a particularly low compact station which is therefore also well integrated into the machine frame.

As a complementary measure it is considered to arrange the modules on movably mounted assembly panels. These assembly panels can be moved in and out of the compact unit over a rail system. In this way it is possible to achieve rapid exchange of the modules such as a control computer, a safety controller, circuit breaker and main contactors etc.

A particularly suitable variant for such an electric unit provides for the compact station to include both the power module and the control section of the electric unit. The compact station not only contains the circuit breakers for five or more drives but also the whole control section. The compact station includes equipment for lighting and control voltages, control computer, safety controller and ten intrinsically safe power supplies.

One further safety measure provides for the electric unit for the control sections of the selective cutting machine and the drilling/anchoring unit to have one joint receiver. There is therefore only one receiver installed in the compact station for both controls sections for the selective cutting machine and the drilling/anchoring unit. This is a way to ensure that the two control sections cannot be operated at the same time.

A major contribution to the compactness of the selective cutting machine according to the invention is made when the control station, the electric unit and/or the drilling/anchoring unit are integrated into the machine frame of the selective cutting machine. These aggregates are integrated into the machine frame in that they lie within its contours, so that they are not noticeable or hardly noticeable, for dimensions of the selective cutting machine with a total height of 2.5 m. Rather, a particularly compact selective cutting machine is realized with a drilling/anchoring unit which is positioned within the dimensions of the machine frame or just slightly exceeds these.

It is particularly considered to arrange the control station and/or the drilling/anchoring unit on a console along the longitudinal side of the machine frame and/or above the chassis, which preferably extends in the longitudinal direction of the machine frame. In this way, space is reserved quasi on the machine frame, which corresponds with these aggregates at which they can be housed in a particularly suitable way according to their form. Both the control station and the drilling/anchoring unit are oriented on the side on the machine frame and are therefore easily accessible, for example also for inserting and removing the drill pipes.

The selective cutting machine according to the invention consists of a superstructure to which, for example, a swivel arm and cutting device and various other aggregates are assigned as well as a substructure which, for example, accommodates the crawler travel gear and the loading device along with the ramps and the conveyor. Regarding this, there is provision for the console to be integrated into the substructure of the machine frame which has the chassis and/or the loading device or is assigned to this. This therefore allows a common height level of the various aggregates, which now make up the machine frame.

The compactness of the selective cutting machine according to the invention, which has already been mentioned a number of times, provides one further advantage in that a platform is formed on the upper side of the machine frame. Thus, the suggestion is made that the upper side of the machine frame is formed as a walkable platform connecting both ends of the machine frame. Therefore a working area is created for the transport which can prove beneficial in several respects. If materials which are necessary for the construction were previously passed by or carried down the side of the machine, this can now take place over the platform. Therefore also bulky construction segments can now be pre-mounted and then be carried over the walkable platform from the rear to the front end of the machine and thus beyond it. Thanks to the compactness of the machine, the construction segments can also be transported over it and away by means of an overhead monorail conveyor, which was not possible before with machines which were, in principle, equally strong but significantly higher. This is also to be seen as advantageous for this effect in that the pre-assembly of such extension devices can now take place in a secure area behind the machine and not, as before, in a still unsecured area between the machine and the breast.

Reference has already been made to the fact that the selective cutting machine according to the invention is also characterized in that it can be advantageously used if there is danger of coal and/or gas eruptions. In this connection it is considered to have the selective cutting machine fitted out with a remote control, wherein by remote control in this case one understands both controlling from outside the selective cutting machine or outside the machine frame and also, as necessary, from the surface. Thanks to a remote control panel, it is also possible particularly for the functions of the drilling/anchoring unit to be controlled from a secure distance. In connection with the danger of coal and/or gas eruptions the machine according to the invention is also capable of performing exploration and pressure release drillings using the drilling/anchoring units integrated in the compact construction.

It is also expedient when the selective cutting machine is fitted out with a device for water-mist-sprinkling. Through use of such sprinkling the selective cutting machine fulfills all conditions for preventing methane ignitions during cutting of surrounding rock with simultaneous reduction in the sprinkling water needed by at least 60% thanks to particularly targeted and effective sprinkling. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the machine frame of the selective cutting machine can be optionally equipped with an exploration and/or pressure release drilling device which can, if necessary, be supplied from the hydraulics of the selective cutting machine and which can be operated over the remote control for the drilling/anchoring unit. This exploration and/or pressure release drilling device is, in particular, extremely advantageous for applications for which there a danger of coal or gas eruptions. Geological faults can also be investigated using the drilling/anchoring equipment and pierced through in drilling/blasting operations. In this way every conceivable anchor and blast hole configuration can be drilled, also from a position located on the side. To do this the selective cutting machine should be supplemented, as needed, at the end of the machine frame facing the breast by a machine-based solution designed for this purpose. To do this the swivel arm with cutting device is swiveled out of the longitudinal axis of the machine frame so that space is created for the exploration and/or pressure release drilling device between the ramps of the loading device. As a complementary measure it is considered to arrange for the exploration and/or pressure release drilling device to be made in such a way that it can be mounted on the machine frame by means of a quick-change device.

The invention is characterized, in particular, in that a particularly compact selective cutting machine is created for use in mining which, above all, can be particularly advantageously used for underground mining of coal, salt and ores. A major contribution to the compactness is that there is a control station, an electric unit and/or a drilling/anchoring unit, as viewed in a longitudinal axis direction, side by side on the machine frame of the selective cutting machine. The electric unit is designed here as a particularly small compact station installed in the middle on the machine frame so that it can be operated and monitored from the control station arranged directly above the chassis on the right or the left. Further measures considered to achieve the required compactness include, amongst other things, that the hose and cable routing for the drilling/anchoring unit is housed in space saving way on the side in a special guide rail. The drilling arm kinematics fulfill all requirements for drilling and setting of anchors, in particular also those for drilling and blasting, whereby also faults can be pierced through.

Further details and advantages of the subject of the invention emerge from the following description of the relevant drawing, which shows a preferred exemplary embodiment with the necessary details and single parts. The figures show as follows:

FIG. 1 a selective cutting machine in a perspective view from the left,

FIG. 2 a selective cutting machine in a perspective view from the right,

FIG. 3 a side view of the control station and electric unit and

FIG. 4 an electric unit.

FIG. 1 displays a selective cutting machine 1 in a perspective view. It is fitted with a cutting device 5 at its front end, in this case a cutting head 41. Two drill bits are shown as examples with the reference numerals 37 and 38. The cutting head 41 is swivellably mounted in a swivel arm 4 on the machine frame 3 of the selective cutting machine 1. A sprinkling device 28 is provided in order to achieve the water-mist-sprinkling for the cutting head 41. This is a pipe 27 with a plurality of nozzles in it, one of which is provided by way of example with the reference numeral 29. There is also a loading device 15 with a ramp 21 at the front end of the selective cutting machine onto which the loosened stone is pushed by means of the loading panel 22 and is then transported away through the machine frame 3 in the direction of its rear end. It is also possible to recognize the chassis 13 on the longitudinal side 8 of the machine frame 3 designed as a crawler travel gear 23. There is a console 7 arranged above the chassis 13 which is integrated in the underbody 11 of the machine frame 3 fitted with a chassis 13. This creates a supporting structure 14 which, amongst other things, is formed by both support plates 39 and 40.

One main emphasis of the invention lies in the arrangement of the drilling/anchoring unit 2, the electric unit 9 designed as a compact station 10 and also the control station, which is covered in this view because it is on the right-hand longitudinal side 8′ of the machine frame 3. The very easily accessible drilling/anchoring unit 2 comprises a movable turning/impact mechanism 26 on the drilling carriage 24, the front guide 36 and the drill pipes used here 25. The platform 17, which extends in the area of the longitudinal axis of the machine frame 3 on the upper side 16 of the machine frame 3, is recognizable behind the drilling/anchoring unit 2. This runs from the rear end 19 to the front end 18 of the machine frame 3 in such a way that the superstructure 12 or the upper side 16 of the machine frame 3 can be comparably comfortably walked along. Under tight space conditions this platform 17 offers an ideal option, for example, to bring components for construction from the rear end 19 of the machine frame 3 to its front end 18 without being exposed to any risks and, in particular, allows even bulky enlargements behind the machine, which are therefore in a safe area, to be assembled together and then transported as a unit or at least as comparably large assemblies over the machine frame 3 in the direction of the breast. The electric unit 9 which is designed as a compact station 10 can be seen roughly in the middle of the machine frame 3 below the platform 17, which can be easily and safely operated from the control station, which is covered in this view.

The selective cutting machine 1 according to the invention is shown from the other perspective in FIG. 2, wherein the view on the right-hand side of the machine for controlling, operating as well as maintenance and therefore the control station 6 is cleared. The control station 6 is integrated into the machine frame and is additionally secured there by a protective cage 34. The operator/driver 30 does, on the one side, have an overview of his operating equipment while, on the other side, he is sitting in the immediate vicinity of the monitor 31 and all other relevant equipment which is necessary for controlling and monitoring the selective cutting machine 1. The compact station 10 is partially covered by the control station 6 behind which, or just a little displaced to the front, is the drilling/anchoring unit 2.

FIG. 3 again illustrates how well the the electric unit 9 designed as a compact station 10 can be operated from the control station 6. From the driver's seat 33 it is not only possible to control and operate the operating equipment with the reference numeral 35, but also, in particular, the two monitors 31, 32 here as well as all other devices required for controlling the selective cutting machine and for its safety. To this effect the control station 6 is integrated into the machine frame 3 of the selective cutting machine 1 in that it is arranged on a console 7 on the longitudinal side of the machine frame 3 immediately above the chassis 13.

Finally FIG. 4 shows a compact station 10 according to the invention for receiving the relevant electrical equipment. All modules are arranged in the housing 42 on an assembly panel, which cannot be seen here. These can be slid in over a rail system into the compact station 10 in order to achieve rapid exchange of the modules. The compact station includes a power module, equipment for lighting and control voltages, control computer, safety controller and a power supply. With its dimensions of, for example, 40 cm in height, 100 cm in width and 200 cm in depth, such a compact station 10 is particularly small and low so it can be integrated well into the machine frame of a selective cutting machine. 

1. A selective cutting machine (1) for use in mining, with a machine frame (3) which has a cutting device (5) arranged on a swivel arm (4) at its end pointing towards to its breast, wherein there is a control station (6), an electric unit (9) and a drilling/anchoring unit (2) designed as a compact station (10), as viewed in a longitudinal axis direction, side by side on the machine frame (3) of the selective cutting machine (1), wherein the electric unit (9), which includes the power module like the control section is designed to be operated from the control station (6), in that the sub-assemblies of the electric unit is modular, wherein the module is arranged on movable mounted assembly panels and in that the upper side (16) of the machine frame (3) is formed as a walkable platform (17) connecting both ends (18, 19) of the machine frame (3).
 2. The selective cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the electric unit (9) for the control sections of the selective cutting machine (1) and the drilling/anchoring unit (2) is fitted with one joint receiver.
 3. The selective cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the control station (6), the electric unit (9) and/or the drilling/anchoring unit (2) are integrated in the machine frame (3) of the selective cutting machine (1).
 4. The selective cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the control station (6) and/or the drilling/anchoring unit (2) are arranged on a console (7) along the longitudinal side (8) of the machine frame (3) and/or above the chassis (13).
 5. The selective cutting machine according to claim 4, wherein the console (7) is integrated into the substructure (11) of the machine frame (3), which is fitted with a chassis (13) and/or the loading device (15).
 6. The selective cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the selective cutting machine (1) is equipped with a remote control.
 7. The selective cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the selective cutting machine (1) is equipped with a device (28) for water-mist-sprinkling.
 8. The selective cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the machine frame (3) of the selective cutting machine (1) can be equipped with an exploration and/or pressure release drilling device. 